The threefold world divided, he should stand
One of the three to share it?

Oct.
So you thought him;
And took his voice who should be pricked to die,
In our black sentence and proscription.

Ant. Octavius, I have seen more days than you;
And though we lay these honors on this man,
To ease ourselves of divers slanderous loads,
He shall but bear them as the ass bears gold,
To groan and sweat under the business,
Either led or driven, as we point the way;
And having brought our treasure where we will,
Then take we down his load, and turn him off,
Like to the empty ass, to shake his ears,
And graze in commons.

Oct.

You may do

your will;

But he's a tried and valiant soldier.

Ant. So is my horse, Octavius; and, for that,

I do appoint him store of provender.

It is a creature that I teach to fight,

To wind, to stop, to run directly on;

His corporal motion governed by my spirit.

And, in some taste, is Lepidus but so;

He must be taught, and trained, and bid go forth;

A barren-spirited fellow; one that feeds

On objects, arts, and imitations ;

Which, out of use, and staled by other men,
Begin his fashion. Do not talk of him,
But as a property.1 And now,
And now, Octavius,
Listen great things.-Brutus and Cassius

Are levying powers; we must straight make head.
Therefore let our alliance be combined,

Our best friends made, and our best means stretched

out,2

1 i. e. as a thing quite at our disposal, and to be treated as we please.

2 The old copy gives this line imperfectly :—

"Our best friends made, our means stretched."

Malone supplied it thus:--

99.

"Our best friends made, our means stretched to the utmost.' The reading of the text is that of the second folio edition, which is sufficiently perspicuous.

And let us presently go sit in council,
How covert matters may be best disclosed,
And open perils surest answered.

Oct. Let us do so; for we are at the stake,
And bayed about with many enemies;

And some, that smile, have in their hearts, I fear,
Millions of mischiefs.

[Exeunt.

SCENE II. Before Brutus' Tent, in the Camp near

Sardis.

Drum. Enter BRUTUS, LUCILIUS, LUCIUS, and Soldiers. TITINIUS and PINDARUS meeting them.

Bru. Stand, ho!

Luc. Give the word, ho! and stand.

Bru. What now, Lucilius? is Cassius near?
Luc. He is at hand; and Pindarus is come

To do you salutation from his master.

[PINDARUS gives a letter to BRUTus.

Bru. He greets me well.-Your master, Pindarus,

In his own change, or by ill officers,'

Hath given me some worthy cause to wish

Things done, undone; but, if he be at hand,

I shall be satisfied.

But that my noble master will appear

Such as he is, full of regard and honor.

Bru. He is not doubted.-A word, Lucilius;

How he received you, let me be resolved.

Luc. With courtesy, and with respect enough;

But not with such familiar instances,

1 It having been thought that alteration was requisite in this line, it may be as well to observe Brutus charges both Cassius and his officer, Lucius Pella, with corruption; and he says to Lucilius, when he hears how he had been received by Cassius:

Nor with such free and friendly conference,
As he hath used of old.

Bru.

Thou hast described

A hot friend cooling; ever note, Lucilius,
When love begins to sicken and decay,
It useth an enforced ceremony.

There are no tricks in plain and simple faith;
But hollow men, like horses hot at hand,
Make gallant show and promise of their mettle;
But when they should endure the bloody spur,
They fall their crests, and, like deceitful jades,
Sink in the trial. Comes his army on?

Luc. They mean this night in Sardis to be quartered; The greater part, the horse in general,

Are' come with Cassius.

· Bru.

[March within.

Hark, he is arrived ;—

March gently on to meet him.

Enter CASSIUS and Soldiers.

Cas. Stand, ho!

Bru. Stand, ho! Speak the word along.

Within. Stand.

Within. Stand.

Within. Stand.

Cas. Most noble brother, you have done me wrong. Bru. Judge me, you gods! wrong I mine enemies? And, if not so, how should I wrong a brother?

Cas. Brutus, this sober form of yours hides wrongs; And when you do them

Bru.

Cassius, be content,

Speak your griefs softly,-I do know you well.-
Before the eyes of both our armies here,

Which should perceive nothing but love from us,
Let us not wrangle. Bid them move away;
Then in my tent, Cassius, enlarge your griefs,
And I will give you audience.

Cas.

Pindarus,

Bid our commanders lead their charges off

A little from this ground.

:

Bru. Lucilius, do you the like; and let no man
Come to our tent, till we have done our conference.
Let Lucius and Titinius guard our door.

[Exeunt.

SCENE III. Within the Tent of Brutus. LUCIUS
and TITINIUS at some distance from it.

Enter BRUTUS and CASSIUS.

Cas. That you have wronged me, doth appear in
this.

You have condemned and noted Lucius Pella,
For taking bribes here of the Sardians;
Wherein, my letters, praying on his side,
Because I knew the man, were slighted off.

Bru. You wronged yourself to write in such a case.
Cas. In such a time as this, it is not meet
That every nice1 offence should bear his comment.
Bru. Let me tell you, Cassius, you yourself
Are much condemned to have an itching palm;
To sell and mart your offices for gold,

To undeservers.

You know that you are Brutus that speak this,
Or, by the gods, this speech were else your last.
Bru. The name of Cassius honors this corruption,
And chastisement doth therefore hide his head.

Cas. Chastisement !

Bru. Remember March, the ides of March remem

ber!

Did not great Julius bleed for justice' sake?
What villain touched his body, that did stab,
And not for justice? What, shall one of us,
That struck the foremost man of all this world,

2 This question is far from implying that any of those who touched Cæsar's body were villains. On the contrary, it is an indirect way of asserting that there was not one man among them who was base enough to stab him for any cause but that of justice.

But for supporting robbers; shall we now
Contaminate our fingers with base bribes,
And sell the mighty space of our large honors
For so much trash as may be grasped thus ?—
I had rather be a dog, and bay the moon,
Than such a Roman.

Cas.

Brutus, bay1 not me,
I'll not endure it. You forget yourself,
To hedge me in; 2 I am a soldier, I,
Older in practice, abler than yourself
To make conditions.3

Bru.

Cas. I am.

Go to; you're not, Cassius.

Bru. I say, you are not.1

Cas. Urge me no more, I shall forget myself; Have mind upon your health, tempt me no further. Bru. Away, slight man!

Cas. Is't possible?

Bru.

Hear me, for I will speak.

Must I give way and room to your rash choler?
Shall I be frighted when a madman stares?

Cas. O ye gods! ye gods! must I endure all this?
Bru. All this? ay, more. Fret till your proud

heart break;

Go, show your slaves how choleric you are,

And make your bondmen tremble. Must I budge?
Must I observe you? Must I stand and crouch
Under your testy humor? By the gods,
You shall digest the venom of your spleen,
Though it do split you; for, from this day forth,
I'll use you for my mirth, yea, for my laughter,
When you are waspish.

1 The old copy reads, "Brutus, bait not me." Theobald made the alteration, which has been adopted by all subsequent editors except Malone. Bay and bait are both frequently used by Shakspeare in the

same sense.

2 i. e. to limit my authority by your direction or censure.

3 To know on what terms it is fit to confer the offices at my disposal. 4 "This passage (says Steevens) may be easily reduced to metre if we

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